Ancelotti hails Anelka

Carlo Ancelotti praised French striker Nicolas Anelka after Chelsea’s comfortable 4-1 win against MSK Zellina last night, saying that he was the man who made The Blue’s victory as easy as it was.

Anelka set up Michael Essien’s opener in the 13th minute and effectively killed the game off with two goals after 24 and 28 minutes, and Ancelotti made it known just how grateful he was to a striker who often goes under-appreciated, or portrayed as being a lazy sulk.

‘The key was Anelka, he had a fantastic game,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘He created space, had chances and was the key. He can play the position in front, sometimes we use him more wide, sometimes in the middle but he shows the same skills if he plays wide.

'I hope to watch my team play a fantastic game for 90 minutes. Obviously, I was a player so I know sometimes there are difficult times, the opponent can come back in the game. If I have to judge the performance I am very happy because it's not easy to win 4-1 away in the Champions League.’